Consumers are quite used to the quick star rating when it comes to sharing our input on how we feel about a business’s customer service. Not only has it been available to us throughout companies feedback boxes for years in-store, it has been provided nearly everywhere online too. Heck, even movies are rated in a 5 star format. However it looks like Facebook has finally caught on; better late than never.

Since this type of rating system is widely known, it only makes sense that it makes its way onto Facebook, although you would never know of the change unless you actually click on the recommendations section on a Facebook Page for a business.  It seems like Facebook secretly rolled it out, and even though a secret roll-out is nothing new for Facebook, adding a new feature that will impact a business will be more than subtle.

A whole new way for a happy or unhappy customer to quickly and easily rate a business is surely going to have a greater impression than Facebook’s original and still available commenting system under its recommendations feature. This will undoubtedly affect the Facebook Edgerank (Facebook Algorithm) as you are still able to recommend a business (or express your dissatisfaction) without using the star rating, however, you cannot leave a star rating without leaving a written recommendation.

Since this is a new secretly released feature the impact on its latest form of recommending a business is unknown. As frustrating as it may be for many businesses since this feature not only comes with specific Facebook page categories as a non-deleted default, it is public without a proper public response system.

With that said, since the rating system still requires a comment this means that there can still not be anonymous ratings and if someone is truly happy or unhappy, they are willing to grab your attention publicly using their profile. Thus, giving businesses still the opportunity to message the individual privately by clicking the name associated with the recommendation and then clicking the message button located on the profile. Of course you will need to be acting as your page to professionally respond and will need to respond professionally since even though it is a direct message, nothing “has” to remain private on the web.

What do you think of the new 5 star rating for business pages as a consumer or business owner?

There has been a promising trend in the automotive industry over the last couple of years. Dealers are starting to pay a good amount of attention to their online reputation, something that simply wasn’t a priority not too long ago. Today, it’s at the top of mind for most dealers. The only challenge is that many are taking action towards improving their reviews on sites like Yelp, Google, and Dealer Rater, but are not focusing at all on the other components of their reputation.

These components are arguably much more important than what Yelp says about your dealership.

This is not to say that reviews are not important. We’re working on what we consider to be the most cutting-edge online review management system in the industry. However, it is only a slice of the reputation pie. The other parts can not only help protect your dealership from the negatives out there. They can actually help to proactively drive more business. Here’s how.

“Skin in the Game” Social media

Facebook has started being more aggressive with their push to get people to use their location review feature. Google Local has been integrated with Google+ for a while and is arguably the most prominent review site in the automotive industry simply because of their biased placement on searches. Twitter is turning around again to be more involved with review sites. All of this is important, but it’s not the most important part of social media from a reputation management perspective.

Unlike standard review sites, there’s skin in the game for those who post about you on their social profiles. When they go to leave a review on Yelp, Dealer Rater, or any of the other sites, there is very little chance that anyone who knows them or trusts their opinion will actually see the review. They are willing to leave these reviews as a semi-public dialogue between them and the dealership. I used the term “semi-public” because while most review sites identify the name of the person leaving the review, their identity is not of any real importance. People who look to review sites are trying to get a general sentiment. They may be looking for dirt, of course, but it’s a check box in the overall buying experience.

More and more press is coming out about fake reviews on these sites as well. Those of us who understand the industry or have been delving into reputation management for some time are well aware that many of the reviews are encouraged. Some are downright fake. Ours isn’t the only industry that knows this which is why fewer people are as trusting of review sites as they once were.

When people post about you on social media, they’re involved. They are now part of the conversation in a way that their friends can and will see. If they say something good about your dealership on Facebook, more local people that know and trust them will see the positive sentiment. It will register to them now and influence them whether they’re in the market today or thinking back six months in the future. The opposite is true as well. A negative review on Dealer Rater will hurt your overall score and a scathing writeup will be written by some who are very curious about the way you do business, but in reality the damage is not that great. If they post a hateful message about you on Facebook, however, you’re now exposed. If the user is active on Facebook, then the negative sentiment will definitely register.

There’s two primary takeaways to this point. First, we’re very proactive as an industry when it comes to getting reviews on review sites, but we’re not taking advantage of the conversation and trust-factor potential of social media as a reputation component. Second, people will vent on their social media profiles when they have no other course of action. Some will do it anyway regardless of what a dealership does, but some can be prevented by giving a direct line of communication to the customer. The scariest part about negative social media posts is that you’re probably completely unaware that they happen. They do. That much is certain. unfortunately, they’re not all consolidated to a single venue like they are with the review sites. Bad word of mouth is amplified when it’s posted to Facebook.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of social media as it pertains to reputation is that it has anything to do with your dealership’s pages and profiles. It doesn’t, at least not from this perspective (though I’ll cover the other perspective shortly). They don’t have to post negative feedback to your page for it to be out there. The sooner that a dealership understands the dynamic between social media and reputation, the closer they’ll be to being able to use social media to drive traffic and referrals to their dealership.

How You Appear on Searches for Your Name

Contrary to popular belief, people don’t normally find your reviews by going to DealerRater.com or Yelp.com directly. They get there through search, in particular searches for your dealership by name. It’s important to understand that controlling as much of the Google search results pages as possible when people search for you is of the utmost importance. By properly controlling what people are able to find when they search for you, you’ll have a much better chance of keeping them interested before they even fill out a lead form or come into the dealership.

In the example above, a person searching for “Lebanon Ford” will find the dealership-controlled websites, of course, but they’ll also find the dealership’s social media presence. In this case, it’s Facebook and Twitter. Avid users of these and other social media sites will want to see what you’re portraying on your social media pages. They can get a better understanding of the humanity behind this presence by visiting these pages. What will they find when they visit yours?

Will they find the type of activity that they want to find? Will they see relevant posts that pertain to the automotive industry, the local community, and the dealership itself, or will they see memes and funny cat pictures. Despite a dangerous belief held by many that posting irrelevant images is the way to go with your social media presence, the reality is that these types of posts, though “likeable” by some, are a turnoff to many. Average people don’t want any businesses posting irrelevant content. It’s insincere. It makes a dealership look like they’re trying too hard to fit into to the community as an individual by being frivolous. That’s not the way to handle social media in 2013.

Today, people that are willing to interact with companies through social media (and that number is growing every day) want to know that a business is on-target. They want to know that you’re not spamming, that you’re engaging, and that you’re staying true to your business and community. They don’t want memes. They don’t want cats. They want to know that you are willing to be the authority on your brand in the local area.

Of course, review sites play a big role when it comes to search. It’s important that you focus your efforts on the review sites that people can find. If they want to know what others are saying about your dealership, the most likely search terms they’ll type in will be either your name or your name plus the word “reviews”. Do those searches and see what’s on the front page of Google and Bing. Are you scoring well? Do you need to get more positive reviews to those sites?

Keep in mind that if a review site cannot be seen in on the front page of Google or Bing for either of those two search variations, the review site really doesn’t exist. It will be rare that a single person will ever see that 5-star rating you have on Superpages if it’s buried on page 3 on Google and Bing searches. Reviews aren’t just about what people are saying about you. They’re also about what other people can find. If a review is posted on a review site and nobody ever visits it, did that review have any affect on your business?

How You Appear in Other Searches

Earlier this year, I posted an article about how SEO is becoming a PR tool. This cannot be stressed enough. People trust that search engines are able to give them good options from which to choose. Most do not understand exactly how the search engines rank sites, but they do believe that there’s some sort of authority factor. When you’re able to rank at the top of the searches for generic terms such as the one displayed above, the person doing the search knows that it happened for a reason.

In the very localized market, this isn’t as much at play. If you’re the Chevrolet dealership in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, then appearing at the top for “Fond du Lac Chevrolet” isn’t going to help you from a reputation perspective. You’re the one in that city, so ranking at the top is expected. If, however, your Fond du Lac Chevrolet dealer is able to rank at the top of the searches for “Milwaukee Chevrolet Dealers” ahead of Chevrolet dealerships that are in Milwaukee, there must be a reason. It’s amazing publicity and a strong play for your dealership’s reputation when you’re able to start ranking well outside of your immediate area.

That doesn’t mean that a Fond du Lac dealer should start trying to rank for “Dallas Chevrolet”. It has to make sense.

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Reputation is an important defense. However, it can be used on the other side of the ball as well. Don’t just pick up a reputation management solution and call it a day. Take a long look at what your potential customers are seeing and make an effort to improve your overall reputation, not just what appears on Yelp.

In today’s social media ventures it is no longer about just being present on Facebook. Many businesses have yet to catch up to the realistic values that Facebook can bring from online to offline due to misusing the site. Facebook has created a tight nit structure that is to help keep fluidity within its newsfeed so that its users are not bombarded by spam, too many pages or of people and pages that are not as of much interest to them.

Businesses have disregarded the actual functionality of Facebook either because they do not have the time to learn about it or do not understand it. Some may just be happy that they are there and posting to their Facebook page.

If you are going to do it, do it right the first time.

Your presence on Facebook as a business is great and kudos to you for being active, but do you want to be successful or just there? The Facebook algorithm sure is tricky and for many understanding it in-depth is a time-eater and confusing but knowing some simple and basic knowledge that can lend a hand to amplifying your potential reach can always be of use.

Here are 5 Reasons Underestimating the Facebook Algorithm Hurts Your Business:

1. Posting images of customers : Many people have told you that posting images of your customers is a great idea and in moderation it can be. But we have over used this form of content and sharing such a niche photo actually limits the amount of actions you could receive if you chose a more widely acceptable image.

How posting images of customers affects the Facebook Algorithm: Posting niche images limits interactions and interactions such as likes, shares and comments will naturally move you up within the Facebook algorithm.

2. Posting content back to back: Just because you have the time to post content to your Facebook page doesn’t mean you should go crazy. Posting anything in a less than 1hr period actually hurts your chance of having the piece of content seen at all, so you basically should not post it at all, unless you are willing to make it into an album or wait a 1hr span.

How posting back to back content affects the Facebook algorithm: When posting images, links or status updates you must wait a 1 hour period or it will get lost within the newsfeed. Facebook does this to prevent flooding the newsfeeds of those who have liked your page. Respect them.

3. Choosing the right type of content: Don’t just plaster something up on your page and call it a day. Take time in finding likable content that is relatable to your industry. Don’t be passively active, be passionately involved. Care about your audience and share content that is worthy of their time.

How choosing the right type of content affects the Facebook algorithm: If you are just posting something to your Facebook page to post, than your page will likely receive less interactions. Less interactions over time decreases your reach and hinders your page as being irrelevant as opposed to choosing content that is visually pleasing or is of educational value.

4. Using Facebook Insights. Period.: Many businesses are not using Facebook Insights to help guide them to find the right type of content to suit your Facebook audience. You should find out the gender that dominates your page, check and see if you are targeting locally and use the knowledge to find relatable content to your industry and location.

How not using Facebook Insights affect the Facebook algorithm: You wouldn’t drive without a lesson or bake a cake without a recipe, so why would you post to your Facebook page blind? You need a basis to begin with; if you don’t then you are literally shooting in the dark. This will decrease your visibility even when using promoted posts or page ads.

5. Promoted Posts and Page Ads will not Save You: If you think that you can just post anything to your Facebook page and slap a few dollars down on a promoted post or keep a Facebook page ad running you might as well take your stack of dollar bills and throw them out the window while driving. Content is always going to be the deciding factor and no matter how many eyes you pay to have on it, if it is not socially written, visually appealing, clever or helpful in some way, you are wasting money.

How promoted posts and Page ads will affect the Facebook algorithm: Even though you are paying Facebook to display your content within newsfeeds or as ads that does not guarantee that the receivers will be receptive to the post. If you are constantly running ads and receiving no traction you are still damaging your credibility to Facebook’s algorithm. Money is not paid to those who choose to place an action on your content, so keep that in mind when choosing the content you intend to promote. Regarding Facebook ads, this is to highlight your page, so step back and look at your page and ask yourself if you would like it based on the content you have shared on the page.

I was going to add no cat pics or adding your logo to a non-original image, but you should know better by now that you’re not a veterinarian (unless you are, than post away!) nor are you a thief, so adding your logo using Photoshop to images you didn’t create and just found online is just simply silly.

Most importantly, you need to take away from this article is the knowledge that every action you take as an admin or Facebook page owner needs to be purposeful. You can no longer just BE on Facebook, you actually need to think prior to posting and mixing up your content is ideal when posting. However, although content is a huge key player, knowing when to post and that less is more is just as important.

Facebook can generate leads; it all depends on who is leading.

[Image via: businessweek]

The day we all have been waiting for has come for Facebook page owners and admins. The day in which we can directly respond to the people who leave comments on our Facebook Pages without having to tag them or just leaving another comment in your thread.

Facebook sure has improved communication on Facebook Pages with this latest feature by adding a reply link to comments. This means that you can now click “reply” when a comment is left on your page and the person who left it will be notified. This will turn commenting into a nested thread that will be in the comments section but creates a more personal touch between your brand and the commenter.

Some pages will have to enable this feature which will show up on the page for you to not only click to allow but learn more about the reply feature on Facebook.

Other pages will already have it implemented and may not even know it, so if the above image does not show on your page, another way to see if the reply feature has been added to your Facebook page is to look beneath a comment on the page.

Once you click on the reply link, you will be able to reply to the person directly, instead of scrambling to create a tag or hoping that they will receive the notification from your comment. This way, it makes communicating to people who are communicating with your page a more direct way of chatting and could improve interactions on your page.

The reply you leave for the person will be sent to their notifications and will too be seen upon your page as if you had left just another comment but instead will create a nested thread within the comment thread so it doesn’t become so overwhelming on your Facebook page.

“I gotta have more cowbell!”

It has become one of the most popular skits in Saturday Night Live history. When Chistopher Walken played The Bruce Dickinson in a skit that had Will Ferrell playing Gene Frenkle from the band Blue Oyster Cult, the need for more cowbell was born. It was a good skit, but the absurdity of enhancing the song with the obnoxious sound of the cowbell really hit home and made it memorable.

In social media, that’s the whole point.

When you look at the various posting styles that businesses employ on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and others, there’s something normally missing. Few are taking advantage of the use of the cowbell. No, it’s not about being obnoxious. It’s about being memorable. It’s about standing out from the rest of your competitors. It’s about having something unique that nobody else in the industry is peddling and that resonates with the audience.

It can be funny, but there are always risks with going after humor. What if your humor doesn’t match your audience?

Another tactic is to go after something more relevant to your business. If you sell a product or a service, try to position it in a way that’s different from everyone else. Today in the car business, for example, there are plenty of dealers that post pictures of their happy customers. While this is a valid strategy, it’s not inspiring and is definitely not going to help you stand out when half of the dealership pages nowadays are doing the same thing. Instead, find a different angle, something that nobody else is doing. You can have a particular spot where the pictures are taken that has an iconic background. You can take pictures of your customers as they’re driving away rather than simply standing in front of their vehicle. You can have them hold up a sign of some sort. There are plenty of options available that are only limited by your imagination.

“Guess what. I’ve got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell.”

While you think about how to stand out, watch the skit itself. It probably won’t inspire you but it might make you laugh.

It is always important to understand the tools and opportunities that are offered to you to help expand your brand. In this instance, learning what a Facebook Promoted Post is and does for your Facebook Business Page will help you further your online presence and enhance your visibility within the Facebook Community.

A Facebook Promoted Post is to help increase the amount of people to see posted content you shared upon your timeline. It is a way to expand your reach amongst those who have liked your page and their friends by literally being promoted within their newsfeeds.

The promoted post becomes a sponsored story within the newsfeed whether they are viewing from the web ormobile devices. Of course you want to make sure that the chosen promoted post is “likable” some even may use the word “viral”.

However, you simply need to choose visually rich content that will tie into your business as well as impress the masses. This is not an easy ship to sail, but remember that paying for a promoted post is only to gain you views upon your shared material. This means it is still up to you to share content that is worthy of a like, comment or share, which will undoubtedly further your content and brand awareness even further.

Learning to differentiate between strong and weak content is key, or perhaps finding someone who already has this experience under their belt would be more beneficial. Either way, just because you are paying money does not mean you will yield results, so content is very important, choose wisely.

How to create a Promoted Post on Facebook

Simply go to your Facebook Page Timeline and begin entering in the text that will be a part of your promoted post. This too is another essential element to the response you intend to receive. It needs to be written in a social manner not a sales pitch.

Once you have carefully written the context to your post you most likely will want to add a visual image to compliment what you are referring to, as images are more popular. Again, I cannot stress this enough, choose wisely!

Now that you are confident about your wording and image click publish just like normal. Once it is posted, click the promote button and choose how much you want to spend. Of course, the amount of views received will vary from the amount of dollars you are willing to spend. However, a promoted post is not all that expensive depending on your intended reach and lasts for a 3 day period.  It is recommended that you always go small when you try it for the first time to see if it helps your page. You can then check your Ads Manager on Facebook to see its progress but your true ROI will be seen from the interactions your Facebook promoted post receives.

Back in the days when Yahoo was fighting against Alta Vista, when Bing was still called Microsoft Live, and when Google was trying to get the big Y to buy them, onsite content and meta tags were search. It was a day of keyword stuff, of hidden text, and of content scraping that helped porn sites rank for the term “toys” while male enhancement drugs could be found on searches for “big fun”. Google emerged as the leader in part because of their pure design, but also because they started looking offsite for signals about search rankings.

The days before Google’s innovation were the peak of onsite SEO. Google turned search on its head by focusing more on what other websites were saying about your website through links rather than anything you put on your site itself. PageRank changed search forever and helped to eliminate some of the poor spammy techniques that websites employed for the sake of getting search engine traffic. Of course, with any good thing comes the bad parts and spammers started learning how to manipulate offsite signals as well.

This persisted until about a year ago. It was at SXSW 2012 that Google’s Matt Cutts and Bing’s Duane Forrester told SEO guru Danny Sullivan that changes were in the works to help rein in offsite link spamming. A month and a half later on April 24th, search was changed forever with the introduction of the Penguin search algorithm update. It helped to eliminate a lot of the offsite spamming techniques, enough so to take some companies out of the SEO business (or out of business altogether).

The pre-PageRank days were the only ones when having the right website made more of a difference than it does today. With the rise of content marketing as a hub for SEO and social media marketing rather than a component of the two disciplines, having the strongest possible website content is essential in promoting a brand on search as well as social media sites like Facebook. You can’t just have a website and drive links to it anymore. Today, you have to “bring it” from a quality perspective. While it’s possible to have a dealer website that stays completely focused on the task of selling cars and services, it’s better to have one that’s diverse with information, articles, and other pieces of content that bring value to the visitors whether they want to buy something or not.

Google is smart. Bing may be smarter, albeit not at marketing themselves. They can tell the difference between SEO content and valuable content for the website visitors much better than most are will to admit. SEO spam is dying. Bulk is dying. Today, the search engines want to see effort. They want you to amaze people with the content you put on your website.